Survey information suggests that nine out of 10 U.S. schools do not teach computer programming. This is especially alarming considering the growth of the field – estimates indicate nearly 1.4 million jobs will open over the next decade with only 400,000 graduates prepared to fill them.

More than the utilitarian function of filling job vacancies, though, is the pedagogical value inherent in coding. Learning computer coding is non-subject specific, lending itself to interdisciplinary lessons that integrate math, science, English, art and a variety of other subjects. Students simultaneously balance logical reasoning, creativity and problem solving in real-world scenarios.

This free ALISON online course will be of great interest to all educators and trainers who want to learn more about effective teaching skills and how to apply them in an educational setting. Being an effective teacher requires a variety of skills but some of the most important are the ability to communicate effectively with students, motivate students to learn, and implement successful instructional planning within the classroom.

Resources to Help Protect Your School, Your Students, Colleagues, and Family At the recent NYSCIO conference, Reg Harnish, CEO of Grey Castle Security, presented an eye-opening session, Colleges Under Attack: Cybercrime in Higher Education. One point Harnish made loud and clear

In this free ALISON online Diploma in Basic Chinese Language Studies course you will learn the basics of written and spoken Mandarin Chinese. Modern China is playing an increasingly influential role in the world’s political, financial and economic spheres, and with Mandarin Chinese being spoken by over one billion people within China and the Chinese diaspora it makes learning Chinese, even the basics, increasingly important.

This course will be of great interest to all human resources, teaching and training professionals who are involved in training, instructional design and e-learning, and who would like to learn more about important aspects of instructional systems design and their use and application in designing and developing highly effective instructional materials or courses.

Five years ago I was trying every new tech tool to come out. I was glogging with glogster. I was threading with voice thread. And I sure was writing and editing in real-time with Google Docs! But the technology was not transforming me. It was not transforming my classroom, because it was just technology.

"I enjoy discussing iPad and other edtech resources with my colleague and friend Sylvia Duckworth almost every week through Twitter. Sylvia is a leader in the French teaching community in Canada, and has created an enormous amount of resources for language teachers to use. I asked her if she wanted to collaborate on this post, and she quickly agreed to do so. Below is a list of iPad apps that we both use in our language classrooms. The ones marked with an * are the essential, must-have ones. We have divided the list into two categories: Content consumption apps and content creation apps."

While learning is not “a medical problem”, it is certainly a “brain problem”, and the brain is our most advanced organ. We’ve barely begin to understand how this amazing mass of cells works. Along these lines, I’m fascinated by the possibilities for information or ‘computer’ technologies to be leveraged to help the mind grow and enhance learning, much as other technologies have been used to help other human organs thrive.

"Augmented Reality is one of the most interesting and exciting tools emerging in the academic world today. Here are a handful of videos showing many fun, engaging ways in which educators and students are using it."

This is actually very beneficial to both students and teachers. There are always new and innovating ways to incorporate fun facts with academics. Not only is this new tool involving the both teachers and students, but it is also teaching and giving teachers and students new facts about interesting areas of education. This is something that has to be showcased around all districts.

I have been a fan of Visible Thinking Routines which were developed by Project Zero from Havard, for a while now. I have used these routines with students, as blogging routines and in professional development workshops.

I have been a fan of Visible Thinking Routines which were developed by Project Zero from Havard, for a while now. I have used these routines with students, as blogging routines and in professional development workshops.

I have been a fan of Visible Thinking Routines which were developed by Project Zero from Havard, for a while now. I have used these routines with students, as blogging routines and in professional development workshops.

Whether it’s Minecraft or duct tape wallets, the childhood passions that seem like fads, if not totally unproductive, can alternatively be seen as mediums for experiencing the virtuous cycle of curiosity: discovering, trying, failing and growing. At DIY, we’ve created a way for kids to explore hundreds of skills and to understand the ways in which they can be creative through them. Often, the skills are unconventional, and almost always the results are surprising. I don’t think it’s important that kids use the skills they learn on DIY for the rest of their lives. What’s important is that kids develop the muscle to be fearless learners so that they are never stuck with the skills they have. Only this will prepare them for a world where change is accelerating and depending on a single skill to provide a lifetime career is becoming impossible.

If we want to transform the failing model, we need a new analogy for how that model is supposed to work, Robinson argues. We treat education like industrial manufacturing when, in reality, it's closer to organic farming. In farming, crop has different needs at different times in order to produce the greatest yield. Why not apply the process to education?

He is correct, schools are not factories that create duplicate models of a prototype. Schools are also not a business, where the latest organizational model makes the system effective. Schools are more like a community, where everyone works together to accomplish the goals developed collaboratively by all stakeholders in the community. Notice that state and federal politicians are not in the community.

Creative Commons license image source There are Many Reasons Why Flexible, Active Learning Classrooms Should be Widely Adopted We’ve converted a few classrooms to more collaborative spaces over the last few years at The College of Westchester, and faculty reaction

“Minecraft can help students visualize concepts, work on communication and collaboration skills, foster positive online behavior, [and] differentiate for students who need more than just words in a textbook”

Video conferencing and chat tools can be a wonderful instructional resource, as most educators know. You can bring the outside world and guests into your classroom, enable a sick or disabled student to present from home and interact with the class, get to know online students better and have more constructive conversations than voice alone permits. The possibilities are endless!

As I am putting the final touches on the 2015 update to The Free Education Technology Resources eBook (which will be made available this week!), and I’ve added a chapter focused on free video conferencing and chat tools. In today’s post, I share these tools and resources.

If you know children aged between about six and 14, then you have probably heard of Minecraft.

Minecraft is a digital game, a popular cultural phenomenon and a powerful platform for learning. It is one of the most successful digital games of all time and continues to grow in popularity.

Educators have a great interest in Minecraft because children and young people seem to be driven to learn new knowledge and skills to play the game with a passion that they often lack for their everyday schooling.

For learners who have studied the first two ALISON French courses, this third course will further increase your understanding of the French language. You will build on your existing knowledge of French vocabulary and master important areas of grammar that will greatly improve your comprehension of the French language and your ability to communicate effectively with native French speakers.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.